You’ve probably heard the name. Maybe you even used it last week to describe that one coworker who stares at the microwave for too long. But here’s the thing: most people are actually looking for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, yet they type in Walter Smitty instead. It’s a classic "Mandela Effect" style slip of the tongue. Or maybe just a very common typo. Either way, whether you call him Smitty or Mitty, the guy has become the universal patron saint of people who live inside their own heads.
James Thurber first introduced this guy to the world in The New Yorker back in 1939. It was a short story. Very short. Only about 2,000 words. But those few pages managed to define a specific type of human existence that still feels painfully real today. We all do it. We’re sitting in traffic, but in our heads, we’re the hero who just saved a busload of kittens from a volcano.
Why the Secret Life of Walter Smitty Still Hits Home
The "Smitty" version of the name has actually cropped up in pop culture more than you’d think. It's that "S" sound. It feels more common, more "everyman." But the core of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (the correct title, just so we're clear) is about the crushing weight of being ordinary.
In the original story, Walter isn't some globetrotting adventurer. He’s a guy in Waterbury, Connecticut. He’s running errands for his wife. She’s kind of a lot. She bosses him around about overshoes and gloves. While she’s at the hairdresser, Walter’s mind just... takes off.
- He’s a Commander piloting a naval hydroplane through a storm.
- He’s a world-class surgeon performing a miracle operation with a fountain pen.
- He’s a cool-as-ice assassin testifying in a courtroom.
The humor comes from the contrast. He’s saying "pocketa-pocketa-pocketa" to mimic a machine, but in reality, he’s just driving past a hospital or trying to remember to buy puppy biscuits. It’s funny, sure. But honestly? It’s also a little bit heartbreaking.
The Great Divide: Thurber vs. Stiller
If you only know the 2013 Ben Stiller movie, you’ve got a very different version of the secret life of Walter Smitty in your head. Hollywood loves a "glow-up" arc. In the movie, Walter actually goes to Greenland. He fights a shark. He skateboards down a volcano in Iceland. He finds the "quintessential" photo negative and gets the girl (played by the always-excellent Kristen Wiig).
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The movie says: "Go out and live your dreams!"
The book says: "You’re stuck in this car, and your wife is going to yell at you for forgetting the crackers."
Thurber’s original ending is much darker. Walter Mitty imagines himself standing in front of a firing squad, "undefeated, inscrutable to the last." He’s escaping a reality he can't change through a fantasy where he finally has some dignity. It’s a coping mechanism. Some psychologists, like those discussed in Inspire the Mind, actually point to Mitty as the earliest pop-culture representation of "maladaptive daydreaming." That’s when your inner world becomes so vivid it actually starts messing with your ability to function in the real one.
The Cultural Impact of the "Smitty" Archetype
It’s rare for a fictional character’s name to become a literal dictionary entry. If you look up "Walter Mitty" in Merriam-Webster, it’s defined as "an ordinary, often ineffectual person who indulges in fantastic daydreams."
British military circles have used the term for years to describe "pretend" soldiers—people who buy surplus gear and tell tall tales about secret ops they never actually took part in. They call them "Walter Mittys" or "Walts." It’s a bit mean, but it shows how much the concept of a "secret life" resonates. We all have a version of ourselves that is cooler, faster, and more articulate than the person who tripped on the rug this morning.
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Real-Life "Smittys" You Might Know
Believe it or not, even famous people have admitted to having a "Walter Mitty" streak.
- John F. Kennedy: His friend Ben Bradlee once noted that JFK would imagine himself as a pro golfer like Arnold Palmer while on the course.
- James Thurber himself: The author was partially blind due to a childhood accident involving a bow and arrow. He couldn't serve in the military, which is likely why so many of Mitty’s fantasies involve being a high-ranking officer or a war hero.
- The "Sir Walter Mitty" Impostor: A guy named Alan McIlwraith once convinced people he was a decorated Captain, despite actually working at a call center. He’s the extreme version of the "Smitty" phenomenon.
How to Tell if You’re Living the Secret Life of Walter Smitty
There’s a fine line between healthy imagination and losing the plot. Daydreaming can actually be a sign of high intelligence and creativity. It’s how we problem-solve. But if you find yourself "zoning out" during important conversations or missing your highway exit because you were too busy accepting an Oscar in your head, you might be a Smitty.
Basically, the "secret life" is a response to boredom or lack of agency. If your job feels like a dead end or your daily routine is a loop of chores, your brain is going to build a playground. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s a survival strategy.
Is the Movie or the Book Better?
This is the big debate.
The 1947 Danny Kaye version is a musical. It’s light, it’s fun, but it basically ignores the point of the story. Thurber hated it. He actually wrote a letter to Life magazine complaining about how much they changed his character.
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The 2013 Ben Stiller version is a visual masterpiece. The cinematography by Stuart Dryburgh is stunning. It’s an "inspirational" movie. It makes you want to buy a backpack and a plane ticket to Reykjavik. But it fundamentally changes Mitty from a tragic figure into a hero.
The original story? It’s the one that stays with you. It’s the one that makes you look in the mirror and realize that the most interesting thing about you might be something nobody else can see.
How to Use Your "Smitty" Energy for Good
You don’t have to fight a shark in Greenland to make your life feel bigger. If you’re a chronic daydreamer, you can actually channel that "Secret Life" energy into real-world results.
Stop just imagining the book; write the first page. Instead of dreaming about being a surgeon, maybe take a first aid class. The "Smitty" trap is thinking that the fantasy is a substitute for the reality. It’s not. It’s a blueprint.
Next Steps for the Aspiring Dreamer:
- Read the original: Seriously. It takes ten minutes. Look for James Thurber’s My World—and Welcome to It.
- Audit your "Zone-Outs": Keep a note on your phone. When did you daydream today? Was it because you were bored, stressed, or lonely?
- Take a "Micro-Adventure": The Stiller movie is right about one thing: sometimes you just need to get out of your zip code. Go to a neighborhood you’ve never been to. Eat something you can’t pronounce.
- Watch the 2013 Film: Even if it’s different from the book, the soundtrack (Jose Gonzalez is a legend) and the scenery are worth the two hours.
The secret life of Walter Smitty isn't about being a fake. It's about the fact that every person you pass on the street is carrying an entire universe inside their head. We’re all a little bit "Mitty" (or Smitty) at heart. And honestly? That’s probably the only thing that keeps the world from being completely boring.